Following a knockout win over DJ Linderman at a Titan FC card in May, Walt Harris has been tapped on short notice to fight Soa Palelei at UFC Fight Night 55.

The heavyweight is stepping in for the injured Daniel Omielanczuk at the event, which will take place November 8th in Sydney, Australia.

Harris (7-3) went 0-2 in his first run with the UFC, as he was decisioned by Jared Rosholt and stopped by Nikita Krylov. The American Top Team fighter also holds a win over UFC vet Anthony Hamilton.

Palelei (21-4) is looking to rebound from a decision loss to the aforementioned Rosholt, which snapped “The Hulk’s” 11 fight winning streak. Palelei has defeated Krylov, Pat Barry and Ruan Potts since he returned to the UFC in 2013.

UFC FN 55 will be headlined by a middleweight bout between top ranked contenders Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold.

It didn’t take the UFC long to book Soa Palelei another bout, following his knockout win last weekend, as “The Hulk” will battle Jared Rosholt on June 28th.

The heavyweight scrap will be part of UFC Fight Night 43, which will be hosted by Auckland, New Zealand’s Vector Arena. The fight was reported first by the New Zealand Herald, and was subsequently confirmed by the UFC.

Palelei (21-3) knocked out Ruan Potts with ground-and-pound strikes at UFC FN 40 on Saturday, to extend his winning streak to 11. The Australian fighter has gone 3-1 in the UFC to date.

Rosholt (10-1) is also coming off a recent win, as the American decisioned Daniel Omielanczuk at UFC FN 39 in April. Rosholt is riding a six fight win streak, which includes two victories in the UFC.

UFC FN 43 will feature a middleweight bout between James Te Huna and Nate Marquardt in the main event.

UFC heavyweight Pat Barry will meet Soa Palelei, in what should be a clash of two heavy-handed fighters, looking to engage on the feet until only one man is left standing.

For better or worse, Barry wants to get into the cage and kick and punch his opponents as hard as he can for three rounds. That hasn’t worked for him the past few years, as he is just 3-4 since the start of 2011, and was finished in all four losses.

Meanwhile, Palelei is 19-3 overall with all 19 victories coming by way of KO/TKO or submission – and he won his UFC debut in August, by beating Nikita Krylov by TKO at UFC 164. It was a very underwhelming fight, despite the finish, because Palelei was suffering from an ‘excruciating’ cracked rib injury that happened one week before the fight.

Despite his strong record, Barry is going to prove to be a tough challenge, and we will see if the 35-year-old Australian can use Barry as a stepping stone to climb up the ranks.

As much as I like Barry and his striking, I think this is Palelei’s fight to lose, as he has heavy hands, a size advantage, and a better ground game. Barry switched things up and is training in Colorado, which should help his cardio a bit, but I think Barry won’t follow a smart game plan – and Palelei will be able to land heavy shots.

If it doesn’t stay on the feet, expect to see Palelei to control the fight while Barry tries to get off his back. Ultimately, I believe Palelei will make it two straight wins inside the octagon, finishing Barry sometime in the third round.

The December 7th, UFC Fight Night 33 card in Brisbane, Australia has landed another intriguing heavyweight match-up, as Pat Barry and Soa Palelei have reportedly agreed to fight.

The bout was reported first by the Australian outlet WA Today.com, and was then re-tweeted by the UFC’s official Twitter account.

Palelei (19-3) fought at UFC 164 on August 31st, and managed to stop Nikita Krylov in round three. The Australian fighter, who fatigued quickly in the bout, revealed afterwards that he had a broken rib. “The Hulk” is currently on a nine fight winning streak.

Barry (8-6) will be looking to rebound from the first round, stoppage loss he incurred versus Shawn Jordan at UFC 161 in June. Prior to that, at the TUF 16 Finale in December, “HD” stopped Shane del Rosario.

UFC FN 33 will be headlined by a heavyweight bout between Mark Hunt and “Bigfoot” Silva, and will also feature “Shogun” Rua taking on James Te Huna.